Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar)

Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the experience and research of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health-care provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a health-care professional. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book.

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown
Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House
Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Avena, Nicole M., 1978–
   Why diets fail (because you’re addicted to sugar) : science explains how to end cravings, lose weight, and get healthy / Nicole M. Avena, PhD. and John R. Talbott. — First edition.
     pages cm
1. Sugar-free diet. 2. Sugar—Physiological effect. 3. Reducing diets. 4. Health.
I. Talbott, John R., 1955– II. Title. III. Title: Why diets fail (because you are addicted to sugar).
   RM237.85.A94 2013
   613.2′8332—dc23
                                            2013021488

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-486-3
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-487-0

Cover photography by Katie Newburn

Illustrations on
this page
: (from left) ©
istock.com/gresei
, ©
istock.com/ansonsaw
, ©
istock.com/pinstock
, ©
istock.com/SKrow
, and ©
istock.com/evemilla
;
this page
: (dog) ©
istock.com/alashi
, (dog bowl) ©
istock.com/HitToon
, and (bell) ©
istock.com/lushik
; and on
this page
: (food) ©
istock.com/appleuzr
and (faces) ©
istock.com/PinkTag
.

v3.1

To SAB
—
NICOLE M. AVENA

To Gary Taubes
—
JOHN R. TALBOTT

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART ONE
HOW SUGAR CAUSES YOU TO OVEREAT
 

STEP 1
Why Your Past Diet Attempts Have Failed

STEP 2
Weigh In on Your Sugar Intake

STEP 3
The New Science of Sugar Addiction

PART TWO
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR ADDICTION TO SUGAR
 

STEP 4
The Sugar Freedom Plan for Breaking Your Addiction

STEP 5
What to Eat and What
Not
to Eat

STEP 6
Managing Your Withdrawal

STEP 7
Managing Your Cravings

STEP 8
Avoiding a Relapse (and What to Do If One Occurs)

CONCLUSION
How to Maintain Your New, Addiction-Free Way of Eating

Appendix: Sugar Equivalency Table

Resources

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

There are many important people to thank and acknowledge in the development of this book. We especially thank our editor, Julie Bennett, and the entire team at Ten Speed Press, as well as the folks at the Crown Publishing Group and Random House, for their assistance and support in the writing and development of this book.

—Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott

I would like to thank all of my colleagues and collaborators for their research as well as the valuable information that they have produced in the fields of nutrition, neuroscience, and addiction. There are too many of you to name, but I value each of your unique contributions to our field. I would like to thank Bart Hoebel for his mentorship and friendship, and for getting me involved and excited about appetite research. I would also like to thank Susan Murray for her invaluable efforts assisting with the research, organization, and development of this book. She was there at every step along the way, and her interest in and enthusiasm for this project significantly contributed to the final product. I would also like to thank Cindy Kroll and Monica Gordillo for their assistance with researching various aspects of the contents in this book. In addition, I thank my friends and family for their help and support along the way. I am blessed to have an amazing network of loving and supportive friends. I especially thank Nicole, Nicki, Beth, and Marylynn for their encouragement while working on this project. I extend my gratitude to my parents and siblings (both the A team and the B team) for cheering me on. I also owe an infinite amount of thanks to my husband, Eamon. You’ve supported me unrelentingly during this project, as well as all of the other little projects that I have concocted in life and work, which inevitably develop into something much, much bigger than anticipated. Your advice, levelheadedness, and comic relief provide the glue that keeps me together. Bert, thanks for staying up late with me all of those nights. Also, last but not least, thank you Stella for your patience and understanding and for allowing my work to temporarily encroach on our playtime. I love you all dearly.

—Nicole

I would like to thank my friends and family who had to put up with my withdrawal symptoms when I went on this diet. Thanks especially to Teresa, who was an early guinea pig and who demonstrated that the diet really did make one feel dramatically better, more at ease, and more connected with life. I would like to thank Becky for her great job transcribing and proofing the book, Dottie for delivering on her promises as always, and Bill, Mario, Roberto, Tacho, Jacinto, Luis, and all the other usual suspects at K-38 for making the writing of this book as enjoyable as catching the perfect wave.

—John R. Talbott

Introduction

“
Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to keep them from eating it
.”

—
YOGI BERRA

Look around you. The vast majority of people in the United States are overweight, and a growing number are obese. Rich, poor, old, young, male, female—we see obesity happening across all social domains, races, and ages. Body-weight problems aren’t restricted to certain groups of people. Right now, more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight, and more than 30 percent are obese.
¹
And these numbers are projected to continue to rise. In fact, by 2030, researchers have predicted that 42 percent of Americans will be obese.
²
This is not just something that is occurring within the United States either; the obesity epidemic is a global problem.

Although many of us may want to lose weight simply to improve our appearance or how we feel about ourselves, there are important medical reasons for controlling body weight. Excess body weight has been associated with a number of health risks, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Despite these potential harmful
consequences and public health warnings regarding the dangers of obesity, many people continue to overeat. And this isn’t hard to do. High-calorie, high-sugar food is easily accessible to many people today, and portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. Food is also a big part of our social lives and, as you will read in later chapters, has taken on a new role in our society.

It didn’t used to be this way. Fifty years ago, it was much less common to see fat people and usually a rarity to see fat children. So, what happened to cause such an abrupt and dramatic change in the waistline of society? Certainly, social factors made it easier to stay slim fifty years ago. There were more stay-at-home moms to prepare healthy, wholesome, homemade meals; more people smoked cigarettes (which are appetite suppressants); and, importantly, there weren’t as many food choices or the large portions we have today.

Despite these societal changes, lots of things have happened in the past fifty years that would lead one to think that we should be
healthier
, not heavier. There have been dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, like cancer and heart disease. We have learned an incredible amount from scientists about ways in which we can live healthier, longer lives. And we have so many luxuries that should make losing weight and staying well easy: We have twenty-four-hour gyms, a variety of health food stores and healthy food choices, and even an array of “diet” foods and programs that are supposed to help us keep our body weight in check. Low-fat, low-carb, no-carb—there are so many different plans out there that you could spend a lifetime trying them all. Dieting is a multibillion-dollar industry. With all of the books, magazine articles, and television programs focused on weight loss, it is really a wonder how overeating could be such a looming problem, not only in the United States but throughout the world.

Why is this happening? Why can’t people just stop eating so much and lose weight? Many possible culprits have been identified.
Sure, people are stressed and lead relatively sedentary lifestyles, and this undoubtedly contributes to the problem of overeating. Also, genetics play a role; overweight people will give their genes (and thus perhaps a tendency to be overweight) to their children, and they might also raise them in a home that promotes excess food intake or unhealthy eating habits. But there is more to it than just these factors.

Science has told us that the answer is simple: exercise, minimize stress, and eat right. It’s the
eating right
part of the solution where things get complicated. In response to the public interest in being healthy and losing weight, a plethora of diet books and programs were developed. Many of these offer sound, practical advice that, on paper, looks great. Many of the diet programs out there
should
work, but they don’t. People go on a diet and then quit; weight regain and yo-yo dieting have become a common, vicious cycle for too many Americans. The problem is adherence. People just can’t stick to the prescribed plan, whatever it may be.

Perhaps there is another factor that could hold the key to reducing overeating for many people—something that would help to explain why people often feel drawn to certain types of foods, crave them, and can’t seem to eat them in moderation. (Recall that famous Lay’s potato chip commercial: “Bet you can’t eat just one.”) Could food be
addictive
? Is there something about the foods that we tend to overeat that makes us addicted to them and leads us to continue to overindulge?